Berkeley Repertory Theatre is presenting the world premiere of the new emotional family drama Aubergine, written by Julia Cho and directed by Michael Leibert Artistic Director Tony Taccone. This is the first production presented on the newly renovated Thrust Stage and the second world premiere of the 2015-16 season, following Amélie, A New Musical. Aubergine is the story of an estranged son, his ill father, a visiting uncle carrying their memories in tow, a woman without an appetite, and a refugee from a forgotten country. These characters prove potent ingredients in this bittersweet and moving meditation on family, forgiveness, and the things that nourish us. When language fails, when the past fades, the perfect meal transcends time and culture and says more than words ever can.

Commissioned by Berkeley Rep and developed in The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work, Aubergine opens on Friday, February 12. Aubergine beganpreviews on February 5 and runs through Sunday, March 20, 2016. Individual tickets start at $29 and can be purchased by phone at 510 647-2949 or online at berkeleyrep.org. The Berkeley Repertory Theatre Thrust Stage is located at 2025 Addison Street @ Shattuck, Berkeley, CA 94704.

“Aubergine is a deeply moving play that expresses our capacity for desire and loss” says Taccone. “Using food as a powerful touchstone that connects us with our past, Julia Cho has found a unique way to tell a story that explores the complexities of family, memory, and healing.”

The cast for Aubergine includes Safiya Fredericks (Diane),Tyrone Mitchell Henderson (Lucien),Tim Kang (Ray), Jennifer Lim (Cornelia), and Joseph Steven Yang (Ray’s uncle). And returning to the Berkeley Rep stage in the role of Ray’s father is longtime Bay Area favorite Sab Shimono. Shimono has appeared in several Berkeley Rep productions, including Yankee Dawg You Die (1989), The Ballad of Yachiyo (1997), and Last of Suns (1995). “Sab Shimono is a larger than life character,” says Managing Director Susan Medak. “All of us here at Berkeley Rep are ecstatic that he is returning.”

Julia Cho’s plays include The Language Archive (Susan Smith Blackburn Award), The Piano Teacher, Durango, The Winchester House, BFE, The Architecture of Loss, and 99 Histories. They have been produced in New York at Roundabout Theatre Company, the Public Theater, Vineyard Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, and New York Theatre Workshop, and regionally at Long Wharf Theatre, South Coast Repertory, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and many others. Cho studied playwriting at Amherst College, New York University, and the Juilliard School, and was a member of New Dramatists. Her play Office Hour will premiere at South Coast Rep in April 2016.

Safiya Fredericks (Diane) is making her Berkeley Rep debut. She has most recently been seen in Idris Goodwin’s West Coast premiere of Blackademics at Crowded Fire Theater, and as the Witch in Into the Woods at SF Playhouse (BATCC nominee). Her other work has included Once on This Island (Asaka) at TheatreWorks,Merry Wives of Windsor (M. Page) at African-American Shakespeare Company, and the titular role in Antigone at San Jose Repertory Theatre. She has also been featured in the Civilians’ production of In the Footprint, By Hands Unknown at the New York International Fringe Festival, and Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge with the Gallery Players. She appears in the film America is Still the Place, currently making festival rounds, and she can also be heard as the voice of PBS’ Independent Lens. She studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and received her BA in Drama from the University of California, Irvine. Learn more at safiyafredericks.com.

Tyrone Mitchell Henderson (Lucien) appeared in the West Coast premiere of The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures at Berkeley Rep, directed by Tony Taccone. His New York acting credits include Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk; The America Play; The Tempest; Two Noble Kinsmen; King Lear; and Letters to the End of the World. His regional credits include War, The Winter’s Tale, Radio Golf, The 39 Steps, Enemy of the People, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, Much Ado About Nothing, Merchant of Venice, Othello, Hamlet, Topdog/Underdog, Intimate Apparel, Yellowman, The Piano Lesson, Jitney, and Blues for an Alabama Sky. His television credits include Orange Is the New Black,Unforgettable, The Following, Boardwalk Empire, Suits (pilot), Law & Order, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. He has appeared in the films The Silent Treatment and The Treatment. He was an Audelco and a Suzi Bass Award nominee, received a Dallas Theatre Critics Award, and won a Leon Rabin Award. Tyrone is the founder of quicksilvertheater.com.

Tim Kang (Ray) Familiar from his work in television and film, notably his role in the long-running CBS series The Mentalist, Tim most recently appeared in the reading of Aubergine at The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work. His theatre credits include Mother Courage and Her Children and Richard II. He received his MFA from American Repertory Theater, and is a proud spokesman for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Jennifer Lim (Cornelia) is making her Berkeley Rep debut. She appeared on Broadway in David Henry Hwang’s Chinglish, for which she earned a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway Debut, the IASNY Trophy for Excellence, and a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Actress in a Play. Regionally, she has performed at Goodman Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Select NYC credits include The World of Extreme Happiness (Manhattan Theatre Club), The Urban Retreat (the Public Theater), The Most Deserving (Women’s Project); and Golden Child (Signature Theatre). On TV, Jennifer has guest starred in High Maintenance (HBO), Hell on Wheels (AMC), Person of Interest (CBS), Elementary (CBS), Blue Bloods (CBS), and Law & Order (original/SVU and Criminal Intent). Her work on film includes The Savages and 27 Dresses. Jennifer received her MFA in Acting from the Yale School of Drama. Visit jenniferlimonline.com.

Sab Shimono (Ray’s father) returns to Berkeley Rep having appeared in Philip Kan Gotanda’s Yankee Dawg You Die and Ballad of Yachiyo. Other regional collaborations with Gotanda include After the War, Avocado Kid, Manzanar, and The Wind Cries Mary. He recently appeared in Tokyo Fish Story at South Coast Repertory and The Orphan of Zhao at both American Conservatory Theater and La Jolla Playhouse. His other regional credits include Happy End at ACT. Sab’s Broadway credits include world premieres of Mame, Pacific Overtures, Lovely Ladies, Kind Gentlemen, and Ride the Wind. His off-Broadway productions include Ballad of Yachiyoand The Wash. His film appearances include Old Dogs, Gung Ho, Presumed Innocent, Waterworld, Come See the Paradise, The Shadow, Paradise Road, and The Big Hit. His TV appearances include Mad Men,Seinfeld, Two and a Half Men, E.R., The Simpsons, and M.A.S.H. Sab has received awards from LA Weekly and Dramalogue, and an outstanding actor nomination from the New York Drama Desk.

Joseph Steven Yang

Joseph Steven Yang (Uncle) is delighted to be collaborating for the first time with Berkeley Rep. After earning his MFA in Acting from the University of Washington, Joe performed on stages and film/TV sets in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Bulgaria, and Seattle. His favorite regional theatre credits include the world premieres of Robert Schenkkan’s A Single Shard and David Henry Hwang’s Tibet Through the Red Box. Other transformative productions include Making Tracks, Take Me Out, Yankee Dawg You Die, The Seagull, Mizu No Eki, and A Chorus Line. His memorable film/TV credits include Eden, Behind Enemy Lines II, Deface, Zoey, and The Gilmore Girls. Joe’s producer/director/writer credits include the short film Intimacy Interrupted and two educational web series, STS FA: The Complete Actor and Tips for Actors. His ultimate dream is to build a performing arts school dedicated to serving multiple generations of Asian American artists.

ABOUT THE GROUND FLOOR: BERKELEY REP’S CENTER FOR THE CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF NEW WORK
As the umbrella for all new play activity at Berkeley Rep, The Ground Floor is a bold initiative designed to raise the bar on the Tony Award–winning nonprofit’s already successful record of artistic innovation. Think of it as an incubator for theatrical start-ups or a top-notch R&D facility for artists. The Ground Floor is made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts; Bank of America; the Kenneth Rainin Foundation; supporters of Berkeley Rep’s Create Campaign; and ArtPlace, a collaboration of top national foundations; the National Endowment for the Arts; and various federal agencies to accelerate creative place making across the U.S. For more information on each project, and for future announcements or opportunities to interact, visit berkeleyrep.org/groundfloor.

ABOUT BERKELEY REP
Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to an international leader in innovative theatre. Known for its core values of imagination and excellence, as well as its educated and adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. In four decades, four million people have enjoyed nearly 400 shows at Berkeley Rep. These shows have gone on to win five Tony Awards, seven Obie Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, one Grammy Award, and many other honors. In recognition of its place on the national stage, Berkeley Rep received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1997. Its bustling facilities – which include the 400-seat Thrust Stage, the 600-seat Roda Theatre, the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, the Osher Studio, and a spacious new campus in West Berkeley – are helping revitalize a renowned city. Learn more at berkeleyrep.org

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